Protests Break Out in Downtown St. Louis After Cop Is Acquitted (PHOTOS)

Protests broke out in the streets of St. Louis on Friday, September 15 after Judge Timothy Wilson issued a ruling acquitting former police officer Jason Stockley of murder. At one point, an estimated 300 protesters were on the city streets, although they were matched by a force of 100 or so officers. The protests were almost entirely peaceful, although at one point police deployed pepper spray as protesters blocked a police bus. Police also used their bicycles as makeshift barricades, pushing back the crowd. They stopped them both from entering the highway on foot and thwarted an effort to enter the city's convention center. Photographer Theo Welling was there to capture the action in the initial hours after the early-morning verdict and into the afternoon.